The Port Cities of Panama, Costa Rica and Ecuador

Our 34-night cruise has been an amazing adventure so far. We have been traveling to some of the most remote parts of the world. In the middle of the Pacific ocean there is no internet and the places we have stopped along the way do not have internet that actually works. So, I apologize for our delayed posts over the past three weeks. Now that we have internet again, we are excited to share the highlights of our trip from Fort Lauderdale to Tahiti.

After leaving Columbia, we had two days at sea which brought us to the San Blas Islands belonging to Panama. The Guna people that inhabit the islands along the Caribbean coast of Panama. They are native to this area and have been living off the sea for hundreds of years.

As with many of the ports we have visited over the past month, very few cruise ships are allowed to port near San Blas. Passengers from our ship were taken ashore on a tender. As we rode toward the cluster of islands, we were surprised to see that the Guna people are using every square inch of land for their homes and businesses. The Guna people are living the interesting mix of their traditional culture and the modern day.

We got up early to get on the first tender to the main island. From there, we searched for a boatman that we could hire to take us to one of the uninhabited islands for snorkeling. 

After walking from one end of the island to the other with no luck, I went into the “bar” and asked for help. Instantly we were taken to a local’s home to meet the man with the boat. A few moments later we were headed across the water toward very small island that looked and felt like a piece of paradise. We spent hours snorkeling around a ship wreck just off shore, walking all the way around the small island and having drinks on the beach.

Following our amazing day snorkeling in paradise, we rose early to be on deck as our ship entered the first set of locks at the Panama Canal.
While the new larger locks are open, our ship went through the old locks. We were on deck to watch the whole process as we passed through all three levels of locks to get into the Gutun Lake. The engineering that was completed over 100 years ago to connect the Caribbean with the Pacific Ocean is incredible. 

Once we reached the Pacific Ocean, we headed for Costa Rica. Over the next three days, we visited three different Costa Rica ports; Golfito, Quepos and Puntarenas. Each port offered similar experiences to explore the rainforests and wildlife.

The people of Golfito offered us a very warm welcome as it was the first time Holland America has docked there. Locals came out of there boats to greet our ship. They even organized boats with a band and another with a dance troop as a special “surprise” for the ship passengers.

The ship was able to dock at their very small merchant port.

Once on land, we decided to explore the wildlife refuge on foot with our new friends, John and Gill Reeves. We discovered the wildlife refuge is not very close to the dock, but we made it by asking locals in our limited Spanish for directions. Hiking along the trails we saw thousand of leaf-cutter ants. We stopped for a long time to watch the amazing creatures carry pieces of leaves long distances through the forest. Click here to see a video of the leaf cutter ants at work. DSCN0484_Trim

At the end of a long trail we got to a gate where we met a local family. The young boy offered to lead us to a waterfall. We hiked further into the rainforest and through the river where there we no trails. It was an adventure but well worth the experience for just the four us.

 

Our 5 mile walk back to the ship was made a little tougher by the pouring down rain that soaked us to the bone. Luckily it was quite warm and we found a local bar where we enjoyed some shelter, some cold drinks and some local snacks. The bill for the four of us was $17 USD including a tip for the very sweet woman who owned and ran the bar.

The next day in Quepos, we went horseback riding in the rainforest. My luck with horses isn’t great and as expected, Carmel had a mind of her own. She liked to stop and have a snack and then go the opposite way as the other horses. Eventually we found a rhythm.  An hour into the ride we stopped for a swim.

We tied up the horses and hiked a bit up river until we got to a waterfall. It was small but gushing with a pool at the bottom. Some of the group stripped down to their swimsuits and jumped in. The grooves in the rock allowed us to climb up into the falls.

Toward the top you could sit on the rocks as the water flowed all around us. The water was refreshing and jumping from the top was great fun.

Puntarenas was our last port in Costa Rica. Our guide met us at the dock and we went on an all-day tour of the area with two other couples.

Here are some of the highlights from our day that included, a boat trip, hiking, a traditional lunch and much more.

After leaving Central America we sailed for two days before came to our second port of call in South America, Guayaquil, Ecuador. During those two days we past over the equator. As is maritime tradition for hundreds of years, there is a big ceremony for the crew as the ship passes the equator. Historically any sailors who were passing over for the first time had to complete several nasty “tasks” including crawling through trash and kissing fish. While the Maasdam cannot force the crew to crawl through trash, they did have a big ceremony on the back deck. Approximately 50 crew members participated in the celebration.

The next day we reached the Guayaquil. It is the largest city in Ecuador and is famous for being the gateway to the Galapagos Islands.

 

 

 

We chose to explore the city on foot rather than take a tour on a bus. The port shuttle dropped us off at Iguana Park. It is a very good place to see iguanas in the bushes, along the sidewalk and in the trees.

After snapping a few great photos of the iguanas, John and John joined us for a hike up to the top of the hill that boasts the lighthouse and the colorful neighborhood of La Penas. The climb of 444 stairs is worth it when you reach the top and see the view of the whole city.

 

Following our same steps back to the bottom of the hill, we walked along the Malecon 2000 (waterfront promenade) and back to Iguana Park to catch the port shuttle back to the ship.

Two days at sea while sailing south will bring us to Peru. In our next post, we are excited to share some of the archeological and wildlife wonders that Peru has to offer.